Washington State names new HC after Jake Dickert leaves for Wake Forest
12/28/2024 05:29 PM
Washington State football took a shootout loss to Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl on Friday 52-35. But the Cougars gained a new replacement for Jake Dickert after the loss.
Jimmy Rogers is jumping from South Dakota State to the Cougars, per Adam Rittenberg and Chris Low of ESPN Saturday. Rogers is replacing Dickert as he treks to Wake Forest. He’ll accept a five-year deal in taking over the Cougars, both reporters added.
Rogers is an outside hire for Wazzu. His name wasn’t considered among the list of Dickert replacements for Washington State.
Dickert leaves Wazzu after guiding the Cougars to a 23-20 mark from 2021 to 2024. The 41-year-old originally took over as head coach after the dismissal of Nick Rolovich. The university fired Rolovich over his refusal to comply with the state of Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Rolovich proceeded to take legal action against Washington State. Dickert officially moved to head coach on Nov. 27, 2021.
The native of Oconto, Wisconsin produced two bowl runs for Wazzu. He left the school after producing a coaching career-best eight victories. Dickert is replacing Dave Clawson at Wake Forest, who resigned on Dec. 16.
Jake Dickert replacement brings national title in tow to Washington State
Washington State is turning to a recent national champion winning head coach to lead its program into a new Pac-12.
Rogers won the 2023 national championship at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. That Jackrabbits team breezed through the regular season with a 15-0 mark. South Dakota State went 12-3 overall this past season. However, SDSU’s season ended in the semifinal round.
Rogers is bringing a 27-3 overall record to Pullman. He also won FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2022 while serving as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
The 37-year-old spent the majority of his career in Brookings, South Dakota. Florida Atlantic represents his only other coaching stop, which was 2012-13 as a graduate assistant. Washington State becomes his first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opportunity in 12 seasons.
ESPN learned that Rogers “could bring a significant number of transfers” from South Dakota State to fill his first Cougars team. Quarterback Mark Gronowski is one to watch after the departure of John Mateer. Gronowski is the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner with one more year of eligibility left. Zevi Eckhaus handled the starting QB reins against the Orange in San Diego — delivering 363 yards, three touchdowns and threw two interceptions in the loss.
Top Jackrabbits wide receiver Griffin Wilde is another worth watching. Wilde entered the portal after leading SDSU with 71 catches, 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns. Washington State lost approximately 26 players to the portal, with some leaving after Dickert took the Wake Forest job.
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